Uche Okongwu

The maturity of supply chain sustainability disclosure from a continuous improvement perspective

Purpose - – From a continuous improvement perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the levels of maturity attained by organisations in reporting their supply chain (as well as non-supply chain) sustainability initiatives. It also investigates the extent to which supply chain sustainability (SCS) disclosure varies between different business sectors, as well as the degree of interconnection between various sustainability criteria. Subsequently, it proposes an improvement framework for reporting and implementing sustainability initiatives across the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach - – To carry out this investigation, corporate sustainability reports of selected companies in ten different industries are downloaded and assessed. The paper uses content analysis and principal component analysis to study the disclosure maturity levels of the different industrial sectors. Findings - – The papers results show that the disclosure maturity level is higher in business-to-consumer industries than in business-to-business industries on both the social and environmental dimensions. The paper also shows that the highly polluting energy sector is the least advanced in disclosing SCS initiatives. Generally speaking, there is no clear pattern in the way organisations disclose sustainability information. The conclusion is that sustainability disclosure is not yet homogeneously structured across different business sectors and organisations are yet to attain the “adult” maturity age. Originality/value - – Very few researchers can claim to have investigated the maturity levels of SCS disclosure from a continuous improvement perspective. This is probably due to the absence of a universally accepted framework that clearly defines the scope of sustainability. The paper tries to fill this gap by proposing a framework that would not only help researchers to study SCS and stakeholders to read sustainability reports, but would also enable practitioners to improve the quality and reliability of the data disclosed, especially as they apply to the supply chain.

Causal linkages between supply chain management practices and performance: A balanced scorecard strategy map perspective

Purpose – Today, supply chain design and management constitute a major source of competitive advantage for firms. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate, from a balanced scorecard strategy map (BSSM) perspective, the types of linkages through which supply chain management practices (SCMPs) impact on financial and non-financial performance, and consequently lead to the achievement of the firm’s strategic objectives. Design/methodology/approach – This study is carried out in two stages. First, based on the survey data collected from 450 French industrial firms (with a return rate of 20.2 per cent), structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test eight hypotheses that are formulated through the discussion of previous theoretical and empirical findings in extant literature. Then, based on the framework of the BSSM, the SEM results are used to discuss the linkages between SCMPs and firm performance. Findings – After confirming some of the relationships already observed in extant literature...

A decision support system for optimising the order fulfilment process

Many authors have highlighted gaps at the interfaces between supply chains (SCs) and demand chains. Generally, the latter tends primarily to be ‘agile’ by maximising effectiveness and responsiveness while the former tends to be ‘lean’ by maximising efficiency. When, in the SC, disruptions (that lead to stock-out situations) occur after customer orders have been accepted, managers are faced with the problem of maximising customer satisfaction while taking into consideration the conflicting objectives of the supply and demand sides of the order fulfilment process. This article proposes a cross-functional multi-criteria decision-making (advanced available-to-promise) tool that provides different strategic options from which a solution can be chosen. It also proposes a performance measurement system to support the decision-making and improvement process. The results of some experimental tests show that the model enables to make strategic decisions on the degree of flexibility required to achieve the desired level of customer service.

A decision support system for robust humanitarian facility location

Each year, more than 400 natural disasters hit the world. To be more responsive, humanitarians organize stocks of relief items. It is an issue to know the quantity of items to be stored and where they should be positioned. Many authors have tried to address this issue both in industrial and humanitarian environments. However, humanitarian supply chains today do not perform correctly, particularly as regards resilience and efficiency. This is mainly due to the fact that when a disaster occurs, some hazards can strongly impact the network by destroying some resources or collapsing infrastructure. The expected performance of the relief response is consequently strongly decreased. The problem statement of our research work consists in proposing a decision-making support model in artificial intelligence dedicated to the humanitarian world and capable of designing a coherent network that is still able to adequately manage the response to a disaster despite failures or inadequacies of infrastructure and potential resources. This contribution is defined through a Stochastic Multi-Scenarios Program as a core and a set of extensions. A real-life application case based on the design of a humanitarian supply chain in Peru is developed in order to highlight the benefits and limits of the proposition.

An innovative Supply Chain Management programme structure: broadening the SCM skill set

This paper proposes a matrix structure for training Supply Chain Management (SCM) professionals. It is an innovative programme structure that combines two approaches: cross-border and inter-organisational. It enables the students to comprehend complex and specific business environments and to understand the diverse nature of SCM systems in both theory and practice. Based on the literature review and the analysis of SCM and logistics job advertisements in two countries - the USA and France, we identified the skills and competences required to be a SCM professional. Results of the job analysis show that, in most cases, the same responsibilities are assigned to both logistics and SCM professionals. However, we argue that the SCM programmes should have a broader scope than the logistics programmes.

How do the Key Determinants of a Distributed Planning Process Impact on the Performance of a Supply Chain

As firms search to maximise value through the effective management of their various business activities, it is increasingly important to identify and understand the key factors that can significantly impact on the performance of the supply chain. The Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model enables to identify four distinct processes (plan, source, make and deliver) that constitute a supply chain. If many researchers have studied the last three processes (source, make and deliver), the relationship between the determinants of the planning process and supply chain performance has not been sufficiently explored. This paper therefore aims to identify and analyse the determinants of a distributed planning process that impact on the performance of a supply chain, including both financial and non-financial elements. It proposes a conceptual framework and a simulation model that can be used to improve the performance of a supply chain in terms of efficiency, flexibility, effectiveness and responsiveness.

Best practices in distribution and retail networks: the case of Indonesia and France

Different echelons (companies) of a Supply Chain (SC) often make decisions that create inefficiencies in the SC. For example, sales promotions and trade deals offered by manufacturers encourage distributors to purchase large quantities in advance, thereby generating excess inventories which create bullwhip effects. This paper presents best practices that enable supply chains in two different business and cultural setups (Indonesia and France) to neutralise these inefficiencies in order to maintain a high level of efficiency, flexibility and responsiveness. A comparative analysis of the two cases underlines the need for managers to adapt their business models by adding a local touch.

Integration of Supply Chain Management systems

This paper proposes a new model (termed SCM Function Deployment) that would enable managers to design their SCM system more effectively. The outcome of the model helps to: determine the degree of collaboration and integration; assess the required level of interconnectivity between SC partners; identify areas of development and improvement; and make decisions related to transport integration. Applying the model to an aerospace company to assess the degree of collaboration and integration shows that only few of the suppliers should be fully integrated at the highest level where strategic information is shared.

An Advanced ATP Decision Support System in Stockout Situations

Order management is a major component of the order fulfillment process (OFP). The aim of this activity consists in maximizing the responsiveness, flexibility and efficiency of a customer order fulfilment. But what happens in case of shortage? Today, no particular method seems to allow managing bulk orders properly. In situations of stockout, the different actors involved in the OFP may have difficulties in deciding the best responsive solution that would preserve customer satisfaction. The aim of this paper is to achieve this goal by developing a multi-criteria decision support system, based on the Advanced Available-to-promise (AATP) technique.